About 10 states officially recognize today as Indigenous Peoples’ Day, a day otherwise known as Columbus Day.
Last year, the President formally proclaimed the day as Indigenous Peoples’ Day too. I know that many would probably prefer that we switch Columbus Day entirely over to celebrating Indigenous People, or maybe separate out these days. I think there might be some benefit in holding these two conflicting (literally) influences together, but I have conflicting opinions about it myself. However there is no doubt, we need a space to celebrate the resilience, creativity, deep wisdom, and connectedness of America’s Native Peoples.
In fact, our future collective wisdom depends so much on listening better to ancient and modern native wisdom, I’d like a day purely about celebrating indigenous people all over the world. Virtually all nations have been part of exploiting and diminishing native cultures and peoples and I’d like to see a Global Native Peoples’ Day when nations across the world celebrate simultaneously, and pay particular attention to our indigenous writers, poets, scientists, Elders, spiritual leaders, artists, and youth. I mean, it would be nice if we could pay more attention and elevate those voices every day, but at least let’s start with one.
Other Global Days I think should be invented and be holidays:
Global Peace Day. Whatever particular war people are fighting, or whatever missile testing or posturing is happening, we should have at least one day when everyone puts down weapons and shares time with their own families, their military families, their neighbors of different religions, or castes, or political viewpoints. One big global block party where all the guns and vicious words are shelved for just one day. If opposing soldiers on the bloody and brutal front line could play soccer with each other on Christmas Day in 1914, we can all manage a truce for one day, surely.
Global Food Day. A day to share recipes, meals, cultures, to take beautiful boxes of food to those who cannot afford it, and to share tables with those who bring different food influences and histories. Sometimes I feel as though food is a universal language that also simultaneously and non-confrontationally celebrates our diversity more than any ‘diversity day’ could ever do. A table is also the place where many of our best learning occurs - about everything, but especially each other.
And, perhaps predictably given the title of this newsletter:
Global Environment Day. However, I don’t think it’s about Earth as a whole so much as it should be about bringing people’s local stories about landscape and plants and wildlife together. I want to hear about the backyard species of someone in Nairobi or Kiev or Tokyo. I want to hear what people love about neighborhood walks in Beijing or Doha or St Petersburg. I want to hear about people’s connection to the environment as much as about the environment itself. What does our little piece of the world mean to us?
Let’s share and celebrate those days.